Refrigeration evaporator with clinch-type plates



W I r Jan. 20, 1959 w. A. COLLINS 2,369,337

REFRIGERATION EVAPORATOR WITH CLINCH-TYPE PLATES Filed Aug. 6, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Z4! INVENTOR. E. E. Mill-am /z com-fig BY M 42 J 6' OKNE/Sfl Jan. 20, 1.959 w. A. COLLINS 2,869,337

REFRIGERATION EVAPORATOR WITH CLINCH-TYPE PLATES Filed Aug. 6, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 o t INVENTOR. MUM? 51 50771-775,

REFRIGERATION EVAPORATOR WITH' CLINCH-TYPE PLATES William A. Collins, Dowagiac, Mich., assignor to Rudy Manufacturing Company, Dowagiac, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application August 6, 1953, Serial No. 372,758

11 Claims. (31. 62-516 This invention relates to evaporators, and particularly to a plate type of evaporator having a metal sheet provided with areas which are clinched about straight portions of a sinuously'formed tube.

In the copending application of William A. Collins and Edward D. Floreen, Serial No. 337,762, filed February 19, 1953, for Refrigeration Evaporator and Method of Constructing Same which was assigned to the assignee of the present invention, an evaporator is illustrated, described and claimed made from like tube supporting plates spaced by side Walls to produce evaporators of difierent capacity.

In the present invention this concept is extended by forming the like plates from a sheet of metal, areas of which are clinched about the straight'portions of the sinuously formed tube. These like plates may be spaced apart ditierent amounts and fitted with a sinuous crossconnecting tube and terminal tubular ends to complete the assembly. The tubing may be continuous to have the like sheets clinched on the sinuously formed end portions and bent at right angles to the central crossconnecting portion. The clinched plates-are connected by side members to complete the evaporator with the sinuous cross-connecting portion secured by a clip to one of the side members.

Accordingly, the main objects of the invention are: to provide a pair of plates from which an evaporator is formed made from metal sheet having areas which are clinched about the straight portions of a continuous sinuously formed tube; to space a pair of plates made from sheets which are clinched about spaced straight portions of a sinuously formed tube by flanged end walls which are secured thereto; to form an evaporator of spaced plates which support a sinuous tube and are spaced from each other by side members, with the tube connected by a cross-connecting tube which is in continuation of the tubes about which the plate is clinched; and in general, to form an evaporator from plates having clinched relation with the straight portions of a sinuous tube which are spaced by side walls, all of which is simple in construction and economical of manufacture.

Other objects and features of novelty of theinvention will be specifically pointed out or will become apparent when referring, for a better understanding of the 11117611 tion, to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a broken plan view of an evaporator built up from plates clinched about the straight portions of a continuous sinuously formed tube, in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 2, taken from the right-hand side thereof;

Fig. 4 is a view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 2, taken from the left-hand side thereof, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1, taken on the line 5-5 thereof.

United States Patent 'members 16 to make various sizes of evaporators.

The evaporator of the present invention embodies a top plate 10 and a like bottom plate 11 which has portions 12 thereof clinched about straight portions 13 of acontinuous sinuously formed tube 14, the straight portions of which are joined by end loops 15. A pair of plates 10 is joined together at each end by U-shaped end members 16 which are welded, riveted or otherwise secured thereto to form a closed structure. The plates 10 and U-shaped end members 16 may have the edges reversely bent at 17 toprovide strength to the assembly. A cross-connecting tube 18 may be joined in the usual manner to the ends 19 of the sinuously formed length of tubing 14, illustrated in dot and dash line at 21, when evaporators of various sizes are to be employed depending upon the length of the end members 16. When, however, a standard size evaporator is to be utilized, the cross-connecting tube 18 is constructed inunit relation with the top and bottom sinuously formed lengths of tube 14 so as to eliminate the joints 21 in the assembly. Each of the sinuously formed portions has the plates 10 clinched thereabout, and thereafter the tubing portion 18 is bent where the joints 21 would otherwise be located to have the plates 10 and 11 disposed parallel and spaced adesired distance apart. Thereafter the U-shaped end members 16 are secured to the ends of the plates.

in a similar manner, the terminal tubular end '22 may be in continuation of the end of the sinuous length of tube 14 when a standard type of evaporator is to be made, or the end may be secured to the end of the sinuous formed tube 14' by the joint 21, illustrated in dot and dash line. The terminal end 23 may be continuous with the sinuously formed tube 14 when a standard type of evaporator is to be manufactured, or may be secured thereto by a joint 21 when various types of evaporatcrs'are to be made from the plates 10 and 11. The end 23 is secured to a separator 24 having a terminal tubular end 25. The cross-connecting tube 18 and the separator 24 may be mechanically supported on the side wall 16 by clips'26 and 27 respectively.

In the arrangement illustrated, an. evaporator is formed of plates 10 and 11 having portions 12 which are clinched about the straight portionsof the sinuously formed length of tube 14, the plates being spaced by U-shaped end In this arrangement, the cross-connecting tube 18 is of sinuous form to add capacity to the assembled evaporator and may join the adjacent ends of the formed tube 14 while the opposite ends thereof have terminal tubular end elements secured thereto. When a standard .type of evaporator is to be formed in quantity, the crossconnecting tube 18. may be continuous with the two lengths of'sinuously formed'tube 14, as well as the terminal end tubes 22 and 23. The plates ill'and 11 are then clinched about the straight portion of the tube 14 after which the tube at the junction of the cross-connecting portion 18 and the terminal ends may be bent to have the plates 10 and 11 disposed in parallel relation. In such an arrangement, an ofthe joints are eliminated, thereby substantially reducing the cost of the assembly and the chance of leaks occurring in the tube portion thereof.

What is claimed is:

' 1. An evaporator formed from two continuous sinuously formed tubes having straight portions joined by oppositely disposed loop ends, two plates, each having channel portions receiving the straight portions of the formed tube mated therewith and clinched thereabout, end members selected to space said plates a desired distance apart to form a closed assembly of desired capacity, and a cross-connecting tube of sinuous form interconnecting the two formed tubes which are clinched respectively to the spaced plates.

2. An evaporator formed from two continuous sinuously formed tubes having straight portions joined by oppositely disposed loop ends, two plates, each having channel portions receiving the straight portions of the formed tube mated therewith and clinched thereabout, end members selected to space said plates a desired distance apart to form a closed assembly of desired capacity, a cross-connecting tube of sinuous form interconnecting the two formed tubes which are clinched respectively to the spaced plates, and a clip for retaining the sinuously formed cross-connecting tube against the adjacent end members.

3. An evaporator formed from two continuous sinuously formed tubes having straight portions joined by oppositely disposed loop ends, two plates, each havinw channel portions receiving the straight portions of t: formed tube mated therewith and clinched thereabout, and members selected to space said plates a desired distance apart to form a closed assembly of desired capacity, a cross-connecting tube of sinuous form interconnecting the two formed tubes which are clinched respectively to the spaced plates, a clip for retaining the sinuously formed cross-connecting tube against the adjacent end members, an accumulator secured to the other end of one of the formed tubes clinched to a plate, and a clip for securing said accumulator against the adjacent end plate.

4. An evaporator made from two sinuously formed tubes bent back and forth to provide straight sections joined by end loops, spaced parallel plates to which said tubes are respectively secured in heat conducting relationsh'p, end members selected in height to produce the desired spacing of said plates secured thereto, and a sinuously form-ed cross-connecting tube disposed adjacent to the side of an end member and interconnecting an end of each of said sinuously formed tubes.

5. An evaporator made from a sinuously formed tube having end portions bent back and forth to provide straight sections joined by end loops, said two end portions being joined by a sinuously formed cross-connecting portion disposed therebetween, spaced parallel plates having portions clinched about the straight sections of the formed tube at opposite ends thereof, end members selected in height to produce the desired spacing of said plates secured thereto against one of which the sinuously formed cross-connecting portion of the tube abuts, a clip for securing said last portion against said member, an accumulator secured to one end of the formed tube, and a clip for securing said accumulator against the adjacent end membzr.

6. The method of forming an evaporator which includes the steps: of sinuously forming a tube to provide like end portions which have straight sections joined by end loops which are joined by a central sinuously formed section, of clinching channel portions of a pair of plates about the straight sections of the end portions of the formed tube, of bending said tube to have said plates dis osed in spaced parallel relation to each other, and of spacing said plates any desired distance apart by end members which are secured thereto against which the central tubular section is disposed.

7. The method of forming an evaporator which includes the steps: of clinching channel portions of a pair of plates about straight sections of end portions of a formed tube having a sinuously formed medial portion, and of thereafter bending end portions of the tube from the medial portion thereof to have the plates disposed in spaced parallel relation normal to the medial tubular portion any desired distance apart.

8. The method of forming an evaporator which includes the steps: of clinching channel portions of a pair of plates about straight sections of end portions of a formed tube having a sinuously formed medial portion, of thereafter bending end portions of the tube from the medial portion thereof to have the plates disposed in spaced parallel relation normal to the medial tubular portion, and of retaining said plates in spaced relation any desired distance apart by end members which may be of difierent heights.

9. An evaporator made from spaced sinuously formed tubes secured to plates, end members spacing said plates and tubes any one of a plurality of distances apart depending upon the height of the members, and a separate sinuously formed tube disposed parallel to one of said end members and joined in conducting relation to said spaced tubes.

10. An evaporator made from spaced sinuously formed tubes secured to plates, end members spacing said plates and tubes any one of a plurality of distances apart depending upon the height of the members, a separate sinuously formed tube disposed parallel to one of said end members and joined in conducting relation to said spaced tubes, and clip means for securing said tube to said one end plate.

11. An evaporator formed from two continuous sinuously formed tubes having straight portions joined by oppositely disposed loop ends, two plates, each having channel portions receiving the straight portions of an associated formed tube and clinched thereabout, end members spacing said plates to form a closed assembly which may vary in height depending upon the height of the members, and a cross-connecting tube interconnecting the formed tubes which are clinched to the spaced plates.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

